Ludwig Hammerstad
Former Whitehall
Mayor Honored
WHITEHALL, Wis. (Special) —Ludwig Hammerstad, former mayor of Whitehall, celebrated his 85th birthday Friday, with friends calling in to congratulate him. He resides with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Gilbertson.
Mr. Hammerstad, who is in fair health, was born Jan. 16, 1874, in Stange, Norway, son of Lars and Olive Hammerstad. He came to this country with his parents, two brothers and a sister when seven. They settled on a farm in the Town of Hale where Mr. Hammerstad’s older brother Hans had come five years before.
While a young boy Mr. Hammerstad spent a winter, in Whitehall with his older brother Nels. That winter he was a pupil in Whitehall’s first school. Then he worked on farms in Hale Township until 1898, when he came to Whitehall to enter business with his brother Nels who had established a shoemaker shop here.
They expanded into the retail shoe trade and later bought a building on the corner of Scranton and Abrams street from Gund’s Brewery, Whitehall having been voted dry in 1912. There they expanded still further into “gents’ furnishings” and here Mr. Hammerstad continued the store until 1934, when he sold the building.
Mr. Hammerstad was first elected president of the village of Whitehall in 1914, and served until 1918. Later he was elected to the office again so that in all he was village president 12 years. He also served as village treasurer.
There are at this time no other men living in Whitehall who were in business in 1898, when he came here. The last of them, E. C Getts, died in 1958.
In October, 1899, Mr. Hammerstad married Marie Henderson of French Creek who died in 1910. They had three daughters, Mrs. Olive Bitter, Mrs. R. A. (Luella) Holtan and Mrs. E. L. (Gladys) Gilbertson, all of Whitehall. He has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
(from the Jan. 20, 1959, Winona [Minn.] Daily News)
Mayor Honored
WHITEHALL, Wis. (Special) —Ludwig Hammerstad, former mayor of Whitehall, celebrated his 85th birthday Friday, with friends calling in to congratulate him. He resides with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Gilbertson.
Mr. Hammerstad, who is in fair health, was born Jan. 16, 1874, in Stange, Norway, son of Lars and Olive Hammerstad. He came to this country with his parents, two brothers and a sister when seven. They settled on a farm in the Town of Hale where Mr. Hammerstad’s older brother Hans had come five years before.
While a young boy Mr. Hammerstad spent a winter, in Whitehall with his older brother Nels. That winter he was a pupil in Whitehall’s first school. Then he worked on farms in Hale Township until 1898, when he came to Whitehall to enter business with his brother Nels who had established a shoemaker shop here.
They expanded into the retail shoe trade and later bought a building on the corner of Scranton and Abrams street from Gund’s Brewery, Whitehall having been voted dry in 1912. There they expanded still further into “gents’ furnishings” and here Mr. Hammerstad continued the store until 1934, when he sold the building.
Mr. Hammerstad was first elected president of the village of Whitehall in 1914, and served until 1918. Later he was elected to the office again so that in all he was village president 12 years. He also served as village treasurer.
There are at this time no other men living in Whitehall who were in business in 1898, when he came here. The last of them, E. C Getts, died in 1958.
In October, 1899, Mr. Hammerstad married Marie Henderson of French Creek who died in 1910. They had three daughters, Mrs. Olive Bitter, Mrs. R. A. (Luella) Holtan and Mrs. E. L. (Gladys) Gilbertson, all of Whitehall. He has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
(from the Jan. 20, 1959, Winona [Minn.] Daily News)